1. Field
The present disclosure relates to salt therapy systems, and in particular to a method for producing fine salt dust in the breathing air by means of a device producing salt dust, i.e. salt dust generator—and the salt dust generator used in the present method.
2. Brief Description of Related Developments
The method and the generator in accordance with aspects of the disclosed embodiments are used for example in salt room therapy, wherein fine salt dust is blown by a salt dust generator into a room lined with salt. The salt dust provides the room air with negatively charged particles that, when inhaled, have infection reducing and phlegm detaching influence in the respiratory tract, thus opening the tract and easing respiration. In salt room therapy, the amount of salt that reaches the body system is so small that it does not cause additional swelling or adverse increase in blood pressure. Typically, a treatment session takes about 40 minutes at a time for an adult and about 5-10 minutes for a small child.
Currently, on the occasions described above, a method is used wherein the salt generator automatically measures out the right amount of granular salt into a steel tank, wherein blades operated by a motor consequently mill the salt fine. The salt dust thus provided is thereafter conducted by air flow into the air of the salt room to be inhaled by the patient. Salt particles are known to have a therapeutic effect when their size is less than 5 micrometers.
Another method to produce fine salt dust is to blow air thought a vessel where the lid and the bottom are made of net. The salt particles that have been put into the vessel fly in the air flow, collide with each other and break down to smaller particles. In this method, it is also possible to use obstacles inside the vessel such as, for example, nets to increase the amount of collisions. When the salt particles that have passed the obstacles come to the other end of the vessel, a part of them has reached a smaller size that is favourable for the health, i.e. the particles are less than 5 micrometers in size.
The main disadvantage of the current techniques can be considered to be that a great proportion of the salt particles produced are larger than 5 micrometers in size, rendering them useless for purposes of the therapy. Thus, a reasonable effort will not provide an optimal result with regard to the particle size of the salt.
The prior-art technique described above is widely employed in salt room therapy and salt mask therapy. One method and apparatus to produce fine salt dust is presented in the patent publication no: WO 2008/060173. The apparatus according to this publication has a vessel, wherein the salt material to be made fine is put, and it also includes a filter that has been put inside the vessel between two nets. When the air is blown into the vessel through a hole in its bottom, the salt particles collide with each other and then they penetrate through the filter. A part of the salt particles that are lead to the mask are favourably less than 5 micrograms in size. It is evident that the size of the filter in this prior-art technique cannot be set so that only the particles of max 5 micrometers of size can penetrate through it because this would cause the filter to clog very soon. In this case, one must be satisfied with an end result where only a part of the particles going to the therapy are less than 5 micrometers in size.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a salt room therapy system and device that addresses at least some of the problems identified above.